Alabama

South Alabama's Clark shows maturity despite age

G.M. AndrewsSouth Alabama offensive lineman Trey Clark may be an inexperienced redshirt freshman but the Prattville native is calling the shots in the trenches for the Jags.South Alabama’s offensive line may be the most experienced unit the Jaguars have, but the player calling the shots up front isn’t a veteran of collegiate football.

Trey Clark, a redshirt freshman from Prattville, is USA’s starting center and is flanked by juniors with two years of junior college experience.

"I saw a maturity in him that seemed to rub off on the other players," said South Alabama coach Joey Jones. "He’s one of those guys that has a great sense and feel for the game. He understands the game, so we realized early on after working with him for a few weeks that he could be the guy we could hang our hat on even though he was younger.

"We felt like we had a great kid in him. He makes all the calls even though the other guys are older and I think they respect what Trey is doing up front."

Clark earned the starting role with a solid performance during spring practice, summer workouts and this fall. And he performed well in the Jaguars’ 30-13 victory over Hargrave Military Academy three weeks ago, according to offensive line coach John Turner.

"(Trey) did a great job in all the identifications and did a great job in all our zone schemes," said Turner. "He just comes to work every day. He brings tremendous effort and is intense. It’s really fun to watch him compete.

"And I want to say that he’s a student of the game because he’s the first one to come watch film. He wants to know what the opponent is doing, how we’re going to identify everything and how we want to call it."

The 6-foot-1, 265-pound Clark, who helped Prattville win the 2006 6A state championship, downplays his role for USA.

"It’s special to start next to four guys that come from junior college," Clark said as the Jaguars prepare for their second game Saturday at 4 p.m. against Army Prep at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. "They are very knowledgeable and they help me a lot."

But Turner says Clark’s contribution is just as helpful to his cohorts along the offensive line and the entire offense.

"They don’t want to admit it, they really don’t, but they really look at Trey as a leader," Turner said of juniors Jon Griffin, Brian Krauskopf, Cory Pittman and Chris Brunson. "They know that Trey starts everything. They expect him to step up there and get everything going in the right direction, get us going on the right people.

"If Trey is slow or late with a call, they are like lost puppies. It’s really kind of funny. They don’t want to admit that he does as much as he does. He does a good job and is somebody I rely on and somebody our whole offense relies on a tremendous amount."

Asked what he expects to see from Clark and the offensive line after a three-week break, Turner was quick to reply.

"I thought we were physical the first week (game) and I want to see us carry that to another level," said Turner.